Labour ‘putting rail passengers first’, says minister as she blames Tories for prolonging strikes – as it happened

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Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has said the pay deal offered to train drivers was good deal for the taxpayer", because it was resetting the relationship between government and public sector workers" and preventing strikes.

PA Media reports he said:

There is a direct cost to the economy if the strikes continue and we need to work together in partnership with workers and trade unions and business in order to get sustainable growth back into the economy. So this is a good deal for the taxpayer, it's a good deal for the economy.

Making pensioners freeze, slashing services, cutting defence projects, increasing rail fares and raising tax all to fund inflation busting pay deals for trade union donors are political choices made by Labour. They are choosing to placate their union donors over everyone else.